Iniquity
by applebits
Summary: He killed my family. Placed a curse upon me. Destroyed what little innocence I had left. Decieved my sister. Had the audacity to say he did it because he loved my insantity. And all this because of some jewel I never even heard of.
1. Bad Karma

Disclaimer: I **don't** own Inuyasha and co. Rumiko Takahashi does.

Chapter 1: Bad Karma

Why is it, that every time I find just a_ little _bit of happiness in this dismal life of mine, some moron has to go and mess it up?

Why?

Am I really that unlucky?

Could I be so ill-fated, so unfortunate, that not even the most jinxed person alive has a life as depressing as mine?

Maybe that karma shit everyone always talks about is true.

That's it.

All this crappy luck is just karma at work.

I mean, if you really think about it, it makes sense.

I do something bad, and karma gets even by hurling something else 10 times as worse back at me.

But...everything...this whole mess I'm in...shouldn't karma know that it's not my fault? That, I'm not the one to blame?

Then again, maybe I am.

After all, it was me who killed those bandits. All those village men and women, no matter how sinister, still had families.

They were living, breathing, human beings.

Mothers, fathers...all which were slain by my hand.

I remember, still, how angry I was at those bandits as they laughed.

As they strode about my families hut, taking what they favored and burning what they didn't.

I remember how one of them, the leader I think, leered at me with his ruby red eyes that seemed to glow from the inside of his cloak which concealed his face.

He stroked a small object hidden from view that was within his sleeve.

It shocked me to no end on how aloof and nonchalant he acted as my mom, dad, and brothers' lifeless corpses were tied by their wrists' to the hind legs of horses the bandits had brought.

I screamed and scratched and kicked for all it was worth, but to no avail since two of the bastards held me back.

Now I'm sure I could've taken both of them out, but back then, I was only 11, and not yet strong enough to do anything.And so, I looked on helplessly as my family was dragged away on the snow-covered ground, a trail of dark blood and hoof prints the only evidence that _they _had been there.

5 years later, I got my revenge. But, not after being taunted, accused, and finally, driven out of my old village.

It was on a journey I was making to find another village to make my new home, that I came across a rusty, old looking inn.

Glancing up at the darkening sky, I realized it was going to snow.

I _hated_ snow.

So walking in, I surveyed the quaint lobby.

The first thing that caught my attention was a rather loud guffaw that came from a group of brawny looking men.

For some reason that was yet known to me, chills began to run up and down my back as one of the men began stomping his feet in a fit of chuckles.

It was the _way_ the man laughed that got to me.

So very familiar...

That's when I saw him.

Never, could I ever forget those malicious red eyes.

The leader of the bandits that had murdered my family was sitting next to the laughing man, whom I assumed to be one of the killers.

All the rage and hate that had been pent up inside of me for 5 years only grew stronger at the sight of the leader with a drink in his hand and a woman on his lap, seeming to enjoy himself.

Clenching my fists, I willed myself to stay where I was, and not pounceonhim and the others.

Instead, I got a good look at his face, which was now uncloaked.

Curly black hair, pale skin, sturdy frame, and red eyes.

He was attractive, but at the time, I wanted to do nothing more than rip off his pretty little face, and maybe gouge out his eyes.

I did none of these things; instead, I watched and waited.

The woman on his lap, who was probably a prostitute, snuggled into his chest while he pulled out what seemed to be a small, white ball from his sleeve.

I became captivated, then shocked as it went from white to pitch black.

"Oi, Naraku,"grunted one of the bandits to his left, " what're you gonna do with the jewel? Why haven't you made yer wish yet? This is takin' too damn..." he never finished.

For, his face was smashed into the tabletop, and the whole group, minus the leader, was going mad with laughter.

I edged back a little, uneasy about this Naraku.

He cracked his knuckles impassively, then sighed.

"When_ **I **_decide to use the Shikon jewel, I shall use it. When any of_ **you**_ wants me to use it, doesn't matter. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded quickly, for fear of getting their master angry.

He smirked and went back to observing what I thought to be the Shikon jewel.

"Wonderful."

My eyes found their way back to the jewel, and I gazed at it.

The black swirls were hypnotizing, and I began to get a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Slowly, I looked away, and glared at the bandits.

Creepy thoughts invaded my mind, turning my mouth dry, my limbs raw with a need.

I wondered what it would be like to stare down at my hands, and see blood, their blood.

_'How would it feel like to sink a sword into their firm flesh, to watch as their lives drain away with each passing minute?'_I thought.

Then, red blinded my vision, and I blinked.

The red... was actually a pair of eyes.

And they were focused on me.

I gulped. Naraku was frowning, seeming to bein concentration,then recognition became apparent.

He smiled, and fear took hold of me, so, I acted. Before I knew it, my legs were moving at a fast pace towards their table and I held a sword in my hands.

Blood splattered everywhere and tables were knocked over.

A rush of adrenaline passed through my body as I slashed through the group, wanting to make them suffer as I had.

After some time, I finally let the silence around me sink in. Everyone in the lobby had run out shrieking, except for the bandits, who lay on the floor dead.

All except one.

Naraku stood before me watching as I slowly became concious of what had been done.

"You look a lot like her." Then, "but a more _violent_ version."

My head shot up.

Breathing shakily, I dropped the sword, and it fell to the floor with a _'clang'_.

I licked my parched lips, feeling overwhelmed.

"Y-you should've killed me too...should've let me die with **my** family." I swallowed hard. "Why didn't you?" He didn't even blink, just stood there with that stupid smile.

"Tell me why dammit! Why didn't you kill me?! You should have!" I was pissed off, my blood over boiling.

Naraku, if anything, just looked amused.

"No, Kagome, I shouldn't have." He rushed forward and suddenly darts shot at me.

Before I could even grab for my sword, dark purple miasma covered the air thickly, and I was coughing, trying hard to breath.

When all the smoke finally cleared, I looked about wildly.

Naraku was gone.

4 darts were imbedded in me,two in one arm, andtwo in the other.

I yanked them out angrily, noticing that my skin had taken on a bluish tinge, and my arms had gone numb.

I checked the darts.

On each one was the carved in symbol of a treethat glowed amber.

I wondered briefly if he placed a curse on me, but dismissed the thought as an idiotic notion, and glanced at the dead bodies surrounding me.

I remember thinking that, perhaps, the villagers had been right, and I really was insane. The feeling I had right beforethe bandits were all slayed...

I had it as a child at certain moments.

After one last peek at the corpses, I turned, hesitant to have my back open for attack, though all possible attackers were dead...

I walked outside, into the snow.

45 years later, I was still 16.

I was cursed.

5 years after that, I ended up here, in the body of a statue.

Real pathetic, huh?

But, that's karma for you.

End of chapter 1


	2. Herb

Chapter 2:Herb

Hello again.

Didn't think you'd come back, but here you are.

Well, I'm still a statue. Yup. Still frozen in this godforsaken forest with no way to get free, and for the record, I'm getting just a tad bit annoyed.

I mean, imagine if you couldn't move any of your limbs, and you've got an itch on your back that just** will not** go away.

It's enough to drive anyone insane.

AND, I'm surrounded by a bunch of...well, I'm not yet quite sure exactly _**what** _they are, but I think they might be herbs.

Herbs, that I think I'm allergic to.

Could this situation get any worse?

Naw.

Oh, wait! Yes it could.

* * *

I was just about ready to fall asleep, already exhausted and bored out of my mind from glaring at the giant oak tree situated in front of me, when rustling from some nearby bushes jerked me from my sleepy stupor.

Being a statue, and therefore not having the ability to turn my head, I waited tensley for whoever or whatever it was.

I kind of expected some type of wild animal, or a runaway thief, but instead, I was suprised to see a little girl cautiously walking towards me.

She was about 6 or 7, and wore a dingy looking kimono that might have once been pink, but was now brown. A little pony tail shot out from the side of her head, and it bounced as she suddenly stopped in front of me.

I was expecting her to do something, not just stand and stare, but that's all she did.

She stared...

and stared...

rubbed her eyes briefly...

and stared some more.

What was it that she found so damn interesting?

Finally, when her eyes began to water, the little girl gave me this huge toothy grin and pointed to herself.

"I'm Rin! What's your name?"

I couldn't believe.

She was talking to a statue.

Of course I didn't answer back.

The little girl...Rin...frowned and repeated her question.

"My name is Rin! What's your name!?"

If I could have, I would've rolled my eyes. Did she really think I was going to answer? The kid was cute, but a little on the slow side.

Rin looked down at the ground and seemed to be in deep concentration.

She glanced at the rocks, the trees, the bugs, and at last, the herbs.

Those seemed to excite her, because she jerked her head up and giggled.

"I know! Rin will call you Herb!"

....Herb?

Herb?!

She was oblivious, of course, to my irability, and started prancing around and grabbing the herbs that surrounded me.

"Herbs are not as pretty as flowers, but your name is Herb so you need herbs!"

Sitting on the ground with her back turned to me, Rin fiddled around with the herbs she had collected.

I was curious as to what she was doing, and at the same time, a little wary.

"There! Rin has finished!" She spun around with a necklace made from the herbs, and practically leaped at me.

Before I knew it, there was an herb necklace around my stiff neck.

"Rin has made you pretty, Herb!"

Was it really necessary for her to shout all the time?

After placing her creation on me, Rin wrapped her short stubby arms around my waist and placed her head on my stomach.

"Rin likes Herb because Herb is Rin's friend!" she stared up at me with a cute scowl, "Rin wants Herb to come to life...." The she went back to smothering me with her hug.

I wanted to ask her what she was doing, and why, only someone beat me to it.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps, silence, then a gruff voice spoke.

"Hey, uh, Rin? What the hell are you doing?"

She spun around as I looked to see who it was.

A boy stood there in the clearing, at least, I was pretty sure he was a boy...

_But then again_, I thought, _what boy has silver hair? And amber eyes? And claws..._around here I started getting nervous,_ and fangs? And-and are those **dog** ears?!_'

I glanced at Rin in alarm, as the boy looked pretty dangerous, but she stayed where she was, grin and all.

Trying to move, I willed myself to budge just a little, but it was useless. As if sensing my distress, the angry looking boy turned his gaze on my face, then down at Rin's present. He squinted at it, trying to discern what it was, then blinked, and broke out laughing.

" R-Rin_cough_did you make_gasp_ that statue a _wheeze_ necklace?!"

Rin nodded her head proudly and said, " Herb is my friend!"

The laughing boy stooped and seemed confused.

"Herb?" He raised an eyebrow.

'_Oh god no...'_

"Yup! Rin named her Herb!" My anger faltered as the little girl's chest swelled with pride, but it came back quick when that idiotic boy opened his big mouth again.

"Herb, huh?" he walked up to me, scowling. "This thing looks somewhat like someone I know....but who?" He stroked his chin, " That's right! Awww....but she's more beautiful than this statue."

At that moment, I wanted to smash my stone fist into his cocky face.

But alas, I couldn't.

" Well, enough of that. You'd better go home kid, it's getting late."

Of course, Rin wouldn't settle for that.

" But Inuyasha...! I wanna stay here with Herb!"

I heard something that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

" No Rin. Ya gotta go home. So... uh...scram!"

With one last peek at me, Rin stomped off, obviously angry at being told what to do by this 'Inuyasha', who sighed and looked up to the sky.

"Annoying kid..."he glanced at me andfrowned. "Stupid statue....gives me the damn creeps..."

With that being said, Inuyasha bounded off in the direction Rin had left.

After that, Rin came to see me everyday, always chattering away about stuff she had done earlier on.

I learned plenty about her, like that her family was dead, killed by bandits, and how much she loved picking flowers.

The real confusing part, was that at night, once Rin was gone, Inuyasha would walk into my clearing and rest against a tree, just staring into the sky.

He never spoke, just looked in my direction a few times.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Released

Chapter 3: Released

".....so then Rin saw the most prettiest flower in the world, and Rin wanted to get it, but Rin couldn't because it was so pretty and then..." She held her breath for effect. I waited patiently.

"then Rin plucked it! See?" In her tiny little palm, Rin held a crumpled white flower that looked as though it had been through quite a lot. " Does Herb think Rin's flower is pretty?"

What could I say? My mouth was cemented shut.

Tired of waiting for the reply that would never come, Rin sighed and got a wistful expression on her face. "Rin wishes Herb would be alive..." Yeah, Herb too.

"Then Herb and Rin could play together forever!" Maybe being a statue wasn't so bad after all...

But thinking about it seemed to brighten up Rin, and that made me happy. Well, as happy as a person trapped in a stone body could get. Yet, it really wasn't too bad. Everything was always quiet and peaceful. Nobody was chasing me out of their village. Everyone thought I was dead. And, talking , well, listening to Rin wasn't all gloom and doom.

"....so then Rin saw the second prettiest flower in the world...." Well, _most_ of the time.

Actually, I had really become fond of Rin. She was my companion who kept me company when I was feeling alone and dejected, which was pretty much all the time.

" With the Shikon No Tama, Rin could wish for Herb to be alive!" This caught my attention, and I actually felt a flame of hope light up in my chest.

Only to have it put out when Rin stomped her foot. "But Rin doesn't have the Shikon No Tama...." Darn. " Rin could get it!" That was good! "But Rin is not strong enough to steal it from Naraku-sama." That was bad.

....That was horrible! Naraku?! Naraku had the Shikon No whatever?!

It figured. The only way in which I could be alive again, and that sadistic bastard of a hanyou snatched it away.

I sulked in the silence that ensued, only to get alarmed when it went on for longer then Rin usually allowed. When I looked at her, she was staring off into the distance and pulling on her ponytail. Spending so much time with Rin had taught me this was a sign that she was nervous.

Suddenly, her eyes widened in fear as three fierce looking youkai lunged from nowhere and pinned her to the ground. She let out a scream and flung her little fists as hard as she could, but the youkai merely brushed her attack aside.

" My, what a tasty snack you'll be!" The uglier youkai snorted.

"Herb, help me! Please Herb! I'm scared!!!" Rin was crying out for me, and all I could do was watch helplessly while the youkai licked their lips in anticipation.

"Herb! Rin is scared...SMACK!" My heart froze. Those two brutes had hit Rin. Here they were, two monsters 5 times the size of that sweet girl, and they **dared **to hit her?! That got my blood to heated up. There was a dull pounding in that circled me, and I realized it was my pulse.

Rin's shrieks of terror mixed with the sight of glistening teeth and salivating mouths enraged me, and I felt my aura triple in power.

I tensed my body and exerted as much pressure as was possible against my rock prison, causing the youkai to glance up at me in surprise. The last thing I saw was their shocked faces before a giant explosion occurred, and broken stone shards flew all over.

The first thing I did was clench my tense fists, feeling a tingly feeling in them as blood began to circulate again. Then, I narrowed my eyes when I caught sight of Rin on the ground. Her face was just as shocked as the two soon-to-be-dead youkais'.

Reaching for my sword, since I was terrible at archery, my hand clamped around the hilt, and I shot forward.

Who ever said girls couldn't fight?

When I turned back, there were two heads on the floor, and lots of blood. Their bodies had disinigrated, as my miko powers still worked. Looking down, I noticed Rin staring at my clothing.

Her face was pale, and she looked ready to cry.

"B-blo..blood! Herb has blood on her clothes!" I stepped towards her, but she backed away.

She was scared of me? I couldn't help but feel bad at this realization. Ashamed and disappointed, I turned, about to go. Only, Rin grabbed on to my shirt.

"Rin will help Herb wash Herb's clothes." And she grinned at me.

So Rin didn't hate me. Well, I _did_ save her life...

"Come on Herb!" Grasping my hand, she led me out of the clearing I'd been trapped in.

" My name is Kagome. Not Herb or...whatever." Hopefully, she'd get the picture.

Rin was a cute kid, but the nickname absolutely had to go.

"Okay, Kagome!" And we were on our way.

"And after Kagome's clothes are clean, Kagome can help Rin pick flowers!"

"......sure, why not." What can I say? I'm a sucker for kids.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Little Hut in the Woods

Disclaimer: I **don't** own Inuyasha and co. Rumiko Takahashi does.

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate it! And I especially want to thank

Inu-KagomeFan for being the first to review! Thank you!!!

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Chapter 4: Little Hut in the Woods

'_Scrub ,rinse, pat ,dry...scrub, rinse, pat, dry...'_

Ah, cleaning clothes was such a simple task. Really, all you had to do was scrub the dirtied cloth, with soap of course, rinse it off, pat to make sure there are no suds left, and dry. Repeat the cycle about 2 or three times, and you've got yourself a pair of unsoiled, washed and sanitary clothes. I'd done it for years, and it worked every time. Seriously, it was that easy.

_**SPLASH! **_

There were some giggles, and a few, "Rin is sorry, Kagome! Very sorry!", as the hyped up girl pranced about the edge of the river, throwing big, and I mean **_BIG _**rocks into the said river. Of course this caused water to spray everywhere...including on _me..._

We finally finished washing, after some yelling and struggling, and that's when I noticed Rin squirming around and grabbing her ponytail. I looked around quickly, trying to spot any youkai that might have been sneaking around the area, but upon seeing none, I decided to ask Rin what was getting her so nervous.

"Hey, Rin, are you okay? You seem a bit edgy." She let go of her ponytail immediately. This piqued my curiosity even more.

Staring at the ground, Rin squeezed the bundle of flowers she had picked before, and mumbled something incoherent.

"What?" I lowered myself to her height level. "What was that, Rin?"

At last, she flickered her gaze at me. " Rin said that, Rin wants to go with Kagome to Kagome's home." Oh. Her brown eyes began shine, and pretty soon a trail of tears ran down her cheek.

"Rin can go with Kagome, right? Rin can go home with Kagome?" How could I say no?

"Well, who do you live with Rin? I'm pretty sure they'd miss you..." Her family was dead, but she had to live with somebody. No kid her age could live alone.

" Rin lives by herself." Except maybe Rin. Now there was no way I could say no. I pulled Rin towards me and embraced her in a hug. "You can stay with me Rin." Hiccuping, she nodded and smiled. For a moment, I actually anticipated having Rin live with me. I would be like having a younger sister, and as a child I always wanted to experience that.

Then she squealed, loudly, in delight, and grabbed my hand, racing forward. Well, it couldn't be _that_ horrible....

" Where does Kagome live?!" Eh....

That was a very good question. Rin looked so happy and hopeful, and I didn't want to disapoint her by saying I had nowhere to live...so...

"So Rin. How exactly did you take care of yourself if you lived alone?"

I distracted her. Evil, yes I know, but desperate times call for desperate measures. But, so innocent was Rin, that she bounced up and down, obviously excited that I'd asked about her.

" Everyday, Inuyasha brings Rin food and fresh water so Rin won't starve, AND blankets to keep Rin warm! Inuyasha is a very nice friend," she scrunched up her nose, "but he gets grouchy a lot." That last part wasn't surprising...though everything else was.

The jerk I'd met the other day didn't seem like the type to actually go out of his way to care for a small child. And, did she call him a friend?

This actually made me chuckle, which caused Rin to chuckle also, though I didn't know why...

Rin was so busy laughing her little head off, I took her distraction as a chance to think about where we were going to live. I couldn't just live with her outside, it was too dangerous. So I tried to recall where I took residence all those years after my village kicked me out.

I remembered, right after they sent me away, I traveled some distance away and found a medium-sized hut. That was where I spent most of my time, and it _was_ a cozy hut....

'_If only I could remember** where**_ _it is....'_

So, me and Rin traveled all over the whole damn forest as I tried to tap into my feeble memory, which never seemed to serve me right.

Finally, 4 rest stops and 8 detours later, I caught sight of the hut I had stayed in so long ago. Rin yelped in excitement and she ran right inside, no questions asked.

I smiled, thinking her childish antics were adorable, only to run after her when I realized that someone else might have been occupying the hut at the moment.

"Rin! Get ba.....huh?" I jolted to a halt on taking a good look at the inside of the hut.

Trash all over the place...food scraps on the small bed. I used to sleep in...dirt smearing the walls...

It was obvious that someone messy...very messy...lived in my hut.

Rin's voice broke my terror stricken thoughts.

"Kagome looks pale...is Kagome all right?" No. Kagome wasn't all right.

Kagome was angry.

Angry at the pig who dirtied up my beautiful hut. I turned to Rin.

"Rin, let's clean up this place, okay?" Whoever lived here, would just have to find a new home. So there. Heh.

I smirked in triumph. "Well, come on, Rin."

Off went the dirt, out went the trash, and away went the food scraps. By the time we were done, the sun was starting to set, and Rin was exhausted.

But that was okay, because we had cleaned, wait, not cleaned, _purged_ my cute little hut of all the disease causing bacteria that had probably grown all over the place.

"Rin is tired, so Rin will now sleep." And she plopped on the bed, snoring away.

Geeze, to be able to get to sleep that fast....

Shaking my head, I landed right next to the already sleeping girl, and got comfortable. No sooner had my head hit the pillow, when the door opened with a loud 'BANG', jerking me out of bed.

I checked Rin, grateful that she was still asleep, then turned to glare at the intruder, who had prevented my much needed rest from taking place.

My glare met one as equally furious as mine, and I almost flinched at the sight of that dog-eared idiot from before standing in the doorway.

He took an angry step into _my_ hut and I gulped.

Well.

Someone was angry.

"What the hell are you doing in **_MY_ **hut?!" That struck a nerve.

His hut?

_His _hut?!

"What are you talking about? This is **_MY_** hut!" He actually looked baffled.

First frowning, then scratching his head, Inuyasha stepped closer.

"You look real familiar, wench..." Ha. He called me wench. This arrogant bastard called me wench. "In fact, I'd say you looked a lot like that ugly statue in the forest clearing..." Ugly?! Why that...

"Hey! Who invited you here?! Nobody! So **GET OUT**!" Like he really would....but a girl can wish, right?

"Listen, you confused wench, this is _my_ hut. _I_ live here. **_And_** I am in a real nasty mood. So get out before I throw you out!" I was about to reply, but a soft rustling of cloth caught my attention.

"INUYASHA!!! You're back!" She ran up to Inuyasha, trying to squeeze the life out of his leg. "Rin is happy to see Inuyasha!" The dog-man, or whatever he was, blinked.

"What are you doing here, Rin?" Rin being, well, _**Rin**, _gave her trademark grin. "Well?" he raised his eyebrow.

Rin released her hold on his leg and sidled up to me. "Well...Rin wanted to live with Kagome in Kagome's home, only Kagome didn't have a home..." I choked. _'She **knew?!**'_

"....so Kagome chose your hut to live in, and Rin was happy because....guess! Guess why Rin was happy!" she looked at me, then at Inuyasha eagerly.

I hated guessing games.

I really did.

But Rin was waiting, so I took a guess.

"Uh...because then I could have my hut back?" Rin just smiled and I herad something that sounded like a "Feh." Whatever that was.

"No...." She looked at Inuyasha expectantly.

He rolled his eyes. " I don't know. Why?"

Dramatic silence...then, "Because then Rin could live with Kagome and Inuyasha and they could be Rin's mommy and daddy!" Then she jumped on the bed, yawned and closed her eyes.

"Rin?...Rin?"she was asleep.

Great. She'd left me alone with the weirdo.

Sighing, I lied down next to her, for the second time, and closed my own eyes.

"Hey!" I moaned, hoping he wouldn't start arguing again. "Where the hell do you expect me to sleep?"

Like I really cared. "Sleep on the floor."

"**WHA**.....!" I pointed to Rin.

"No shouting, please. Rin's sleeping." he grumbled and growled, but didn't say anything more, just stalked out.

'_Good'_ I thought. _'He took the hint.'_

My cheerfulness was short lived as I heard a_ 'THUMP'_ on the roof.

The stubborn fool just didn't give up....

But it didn't matter. This was still my hut.

"And this is **NOT** your hut! It's mine! Remember that you bitch!!!"

Bitch!?

End of Chapter 4


	5. Bit of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co. Rumiko Takahashi does.

Just so anyone who reads this knows, I might start updating later than usual, as I really want to have time to revise and edit.

* * *

Chapter 5: Bit of the Past

Night time. I both love it, and yet despise it with all my being at the same time. How can this be, you ask? Quite frankly, I don't even understand how. But, it is possible to have two conflicting emotions at the same time, I should know. You see, the night is my time of solace. When you are little, you live with your parents in their home, and let them take care of you. They earn the money, they provide the food, they give you shelter and protect you from all that is bad in the world. Or at least, try to.

This is kind of what the night time does for me. No, it really doesn't feed me, or earn money so I can survive, but it protects me. It guards me against everything that I hate during the day. Things that I am, as much as I hate to admit it, afraid of. People, for one. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-social; I don't hate people. What I do hate, are all of the terrible things that people do. All of the stupid things that people do. Ever since I was a child, I always witnessed the idiocy of people.

Every time someone was laughed at because they were different, for example. I know, because I was laughed at. Not just made fun of, but hated because everyone in my village thought I wasn't _normal._ And I believed them. As a matter of fact, I still do. How could I not? Sometimes I thought they were right, and then......

there were times I felt that I was right. Even now, it scares me when I can't make up my mind. There were times when I said,

"There's nobody following me. I'd be able to see them if they were."

And there were other times that were the most frightening of all, those times in which I ran, checking behind me to make sure that _they_ couldn't get me. Back then I didn't know who _they_ were exactly, and I still don't.

It wasn't just people following me. Sometimes objects seemed to move. A tree, a bush, maybe a rock or figurine. It was normal to me, just not to everyone else. I remember once I told my older brother, Souta, about a shadow that kept following me. He was resting against a tree, watching some of the other kids play with each other. I sat next to him, wanting to tell someone, so maybe the shadow would go away.

" Hey, Souta? Can you please tell that shadow over there to leave me alone? It's starting to scare me."

Naturally, my brother thought I was being silly, and started laughing.

"That's real funny ,sis, but if you keep saying stuff like that, people are gonna start to think your crazy."

I may have been a kid at the time, but I wasn't stupid. It was obvious he didn't believe me. So, I went to the next person that I thought could help me. My sister, Kikyo. Now, me and Kikyo were never really close, regardless of the fact that we were born on the same day. But I had to tell someone who could help me, and Kikyo definitely could. Kikyo was a master archer, not to mention priestess, so of course I found her practicing her archery. I approached my sister just as she was about to shoot an arrow into a tree. Upon reaching her side, Kikyo turned her head towards me, keeping the shooting stance she was in.

"What is it you need, Kagome?"

I watched her for a while before answering, wondering how we could be sisters when she looked so beautiful, and I , well, so....not. Tall and slender...pale skin....straight hair that reached past her waist...._and_ she was the perfect child. Had perfect manners. Did every single fucking thing perfectly. I'd be lying to say I wasn't just a little jealous. I mean, come on, wouldn't you?

"Kagome?" She frowned, pursing her lips. "What's wrong?"

Ah. I had gotten sidetracked.

" See that shadow over there?" I pointed for emphasis, so she wouldn't miss it. " It keeps following me around. Can you please tell it to stop?" There. Now it would _have _to leave me alone.

Wrong.

"......Kagome, I don't like playing games."

She hadn't seen it. Hadn't believed me.

" But...I'm not playing around! That shadow keeps on following me!"

She just narrowed her eyes and turned her away.

" If you truly think so, then, sister..." she released the arrow and it shot right through the middle of the tree in one swift motion.

"....you are insane."

And she walked away, head held high and all.

People in the village began to hear about what had transpired, and gossip spread.

" Did you hear what happened? Kikyo said Kagome's insane!"

" She did? Well then, if Kikyo said...."

"What's that you say? Kagome's crazy? I knew it..."

"That girl always did seem a little off balance in the head, if you know what I mean...."

But I wasn't insane. Everything I saw, everything I heard.......it was all true. It had to be. Why else would it all seem so real? Pretty soon, everybody in the village watched me like a bunch of starved dogs, waiting for the chance to jump at me. I knew Kikyo hadn't meant for it to get out of hand, but I still blamed her. Everyone listened to Kikyo. She was the sane sister. Never made a mistake. Not once.

As I got older, I was able to control my "insanity". When I saw silver sparkles in the air, I didn't try to catch them as I did before. When I heard voices around me, and I saw nobody there, I ignored them. I even stopped talking to the stones that wanted to follow me around. But that didn't change peoples views about me. I was still the 'mad girl' to them. Then, when my family was killed, minus Kikyo, things got worse.

People totally ignored me. Didn't want to have anything to do with me. Except of course, when they felt like spiting someone, just for the heck of it.

I was alone with no family, no friends, and basically, no reason to live. After I was kicked out of my village for "disrupting the peace", _yeah right_, and my second encounter with Naraku in which I was cursed to live forever at the age of 16, I found my hut, and my new home.

Following 3 days since I had arrived there, a group of thieves broke in while I was out gathering herbs. When I entered my hut, they jumped on me, slashing me with their daggers and tying me up. One of them took out a shikon shard and began admiring it while the others began grabbing stuff they liked, which until then, I hadn't even noticed didn't belong to me.

I was once again captivated by the shikon jewel, staring into it's depths, though it was only one shard. My vison started getting hazy and intense hatred for the thieves overwhelmed me. Before I knew it, they were dead. Killed by their own weapons. I dropped to the floor, staring at my hands which were covered in blood, theirs and mine. I had lost a lot of blood, therefore fainting after a wave of dizziness.

And I woke up the most ugliest creature alive staring at me. Big bulging eyes....sickly green skin....it was disgusting! The thing started babbling nonsense, and pointing at me with a weird looking staff. This scared me, as it would anybody, and I tried getting up, causing a sharp spasm in my stomach which caused me to shout. I fell back against a soft bed, confusing the hell out of me since I remembered blacking out on the floor.....

" Jaken, get away from the girl. You seem to startle her."

Sesshomaru.

Yes, I still remembered him. He was the one who had healed my wounds and cared for me while I was injured. Not that he'd had a choice. I did faint in his, well, let's just say 'vacation' hut for now. I mean, what was the guy supposed to do? Throw me outside to rot?

He was the first youkai, and the first person in years, to talk to me. Well, I did most of the talking, but he "tolerated my presence" as he used to put it. He'd sit under a giant oak tree atop a hill everyday, watching the scenery, and I, well, I just followed him. Heh. Yup.

I eventually got curious as to why he went there everyday.

" Why do you...well, you know....." Smooth, huh?

"No. I don't."

I sighed. He just loved to get me exasperated.

"Why do you come out here? Everyday?" There we go. Plain and simple.

For some time, he didn't answer. I began to get nervous. Had I asked the wrong question?

" I am waiting for someone." I nearly had a damn heart attack when he answered.

"Waiting for someone? Eh......who?" He glanced at me.

"Oh! Well...heh...uh...you don't _have_ to answer that....." I kind of wished he had. I was curious. More curious then before.

Who was so lucky and so special, that the great Sesshomaru would actually wait for them? A girl maybe?

" Is it a girl? I mean, the person your waiting for....." My heart was pounding.

He actually smiled....that's right, smiled... a little.

"Yes, Kagome, it is a girl."

I never did find out who the girl was. The last time I saw him, Sesshomaru gave me a present.

This sword I have? The one I guard with my life? Yeah, that one. He gave it to me. I didn't know why, still don't, but he did.

I don't know why he left. Maybe that girl, whoever she was, finally came.

Whatever the case, he was gone, and I was alone again. Until I met up with Naraku a third time.

But that doesn't really count, see, that's when he turned me to stone. But now, I was free, and sleeping quite comfortably in my old bed back when Sesshomaru treated my wounds(never told me _why_ he even bothered) and I had Rin right beside me. Maybe...just maybe.....she could help keep the insanity away.

I heard some loud snoring on the roof above me.

And _he'd_ help keep me awake.....bastard.

Though, he did kind of remind me of someone.....

End of chapter 5


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